Smith 1

Alyssa Smith

Ms. Dearing

English 106

27 January 2015

Living and Learning at Wabash Center

For the past few years I have been working with disabled adults and with the help of my

clients, my managers, and my instructors, I have gained a deeper understanding of the rights and

daily lives of those living with disabilities.

I began my journey in literacy of disabled adults a few years ago. I applied for a job at

Wabash Center in Lafayette and began working in the summer. At first I worked at many

different houses with many different clients. I had to read a binder for each and every individual

describing their daily routines, what medicines they take, what their behavior plans are, and how

I should handle myself in their home. I quickly learned that there is a very broad spectrum of

abilities in the disabled community. This spectrum ranges from low to high functioning. Our goal

with the company is to teach each individual things specific to their goals, this varies from

showering themselves or learning how to cook on their own. The overall goal is to improve their

standard of living and hopefully get them to a point in their lives where they can live unassisted.

I was required to take classes through the state to directly further my knowledge. I am

now fully certified in CPR and state med passing. I am also trained in CPI which is similar to

self-defense. The clients have “behaviors” which also covers a broad field. Behaviors can range

from yelling, to self-injury, to attempting to kill you so you have to be prepared for anything.

Since Wabash Center is a non-restraint company, we do not ever harm the clients in any way,

even if we are in danger. We must learn to stay as safe as possible in the situation and keep

Smith 2

others around us safe also. I am also trained in first aid, which comes in handy almost every day.

There are lots of other mandatory training classes that we take in order to best assist our clients

in a safe and legal way.

Along the way I have gained more knowledge from my sponsors, both direct and indirect.

Some of my sponsors include my teachers at the center who helped me to become a certified

Direct Support Professional and my managers of the houses as well as the clients themselves. My

teachers taught me directly the information and skills I need to know in order to be successful in

the house and were paid directly by the state. My managers over my specific houses taught me

more individual skills that help me work best with each client separately. Friends and families of

the disabled have helped teach me over time by sharing specific memories and experiences. My

clients have taught me the most because I gain firsthand experience. They teach me how to better

assist them and tell me about their lives and how having a disability has affected them.

Working with disabled adults has also taught me a lot about how others react to them and

their tolerance for people with disabilities. Some of my clients have been abused for being

disabled. This ranges from physical and verbal abuse from their families, or being put up for

adoption for being “different” and a lot of the clients have been in state hospitals. I have heard all

kinds of horrible stories about the way they have been mistreated there. I work with many clients

who have been raped, beaten, verbally torn down, and taken advantage of. Now these clients are

wary to trust staff or other adults in their life because they are worried they will be harmed or

exploited. I was not aware of any of the things my clients had to live through just because they

had a disability and it was easier to take advantage and harm them instead of helping them to live

the best life they are capable of.

Smith 3

The first day my eyes were truly opened to the world of those living with disabilities was

not my first day. I had worked in many different houses with many different clients. Eventually I

began working full time in a home where three higher functioning adults live. I had worked with

them and read their books many days in a row and thought I had a firm grasp on the situation. I

sat down to dinner with one of my clients and he asked me if he could talk to me and I responded

with yes, of course. I am always interested in the stories my clients tell because a lot of the time

it gives you clues as to why they behave the way they do and how you can better work with them

on achieving their goals. My client went on to tell me that he was born in 1955 to his mother but

he did not think of her as his mom. She said he was retarded and did not want him. He stayed

with his sister and she raised him as her own and he referred to her as “Mommy”. After a while

she got a boyfriend and he did not like my client because my client was disabled so the boyfriend

tried to shoot him. He ran away and had to sleep outside for many days because he was afraid to

go home. When he did return home he was sent to prison due to his violent past. After a few

years he was moved to a state hospital where he was abused by male nurses and forced to go

through electric shock therapy without sedatives or pain relievers. He was beaten, got his things

stolen, made fun of, and had all his rights stripped away. By learning all of this I was able to get

a better understanding on how I can help him without offending him or bringing back painful

memories. It also gave me a better understanding as to why he reacts the way he does if he feels

threatened or talked down to.

By choosing to work at Wabash Center I have chosen to further my literacy and pursued

further knowledge. As mentioned earlier with the client who suffered years of abuse, he pursued

me to further my knowledge of his specific situation and how to help him. I make a conscious

Smith 4

decision every day to pursue knowledge in this area so I can be the best I can be both for my job

and in my client’s lives.

I believe that by gaining literacy in the field of adults with disabilities it has opened my

eyes to many things in the world. I pay close attention to the way I am treated compared to

others, because everyone deserves fair and equal tolerance, including those with disabilities. I am

also much more aware of my vocabulary and the vocabulary of those around me. The more

obvious words that are offensive are “retarded”, or “dumb/stupid” which I believe everyone

knows are wrong. But I am also aware that by referring to people without disabilities as

“normal” can also be extremely hurtful which I don’t think the average person thinks about. I

have noticed that in general, if a client thinks its ok for someone to say “retarded” then they refer

to themselves in that way and if they make a mistake or feel that they are not doing something at

the same levels and standards as someone without a disability then they will refer to themselves

as “retards” and lose hope and self-confidence, which is extremely sad.

I have learned that there is no set way to handle all adults with disabilities. Every single

person is different and has different needs and goals. I have to learn about every individual

personally in order to best help them in their journey. They continue to sponsor me every day by

teaching me and opening my eyes to new ways to help them and overcome their obstacles in life.

I do not believe that I can ever learn everything there is to know about these adults and the best

way to help them, only that I can continue to deepen my literacy for adults with disabilities every

single day.